Princess is a Career
by astraphobic kisses
Summary: Azula never intended to get roped into this pre-wedding dinner with her brother. But her fiancee can be quite persuasive. Oneshot. Tyzula fluff.


**A/N:** I had a lot of fun writing this one because Azula gets to be terrible too. The next part is going to be a twoshot of the wedding, then I'm closing the oneshot series with their wedding night (which will be M rated). After that I think I'm going to follow up these oneshots with a multi-chaptered fic about their life after marriage with some of the same fluffy themes.

* * *

><p>"I didn't sleep at all last night. We need to cancel on my brother and his water whore," Azula murmurs, burying herself in her blankets. Ty Lee is already readying herself as if she needs to look glamorous for Zuko and Katara.<p>

"Please, Azula. Please. Perfect wedding." It is the correct combination of words to get pink diamonds, red flowers, fancy placemats and a guest list Azula heavily disapproved of.

"Mmph." Azula wishes she were sleeping, but she knows that she would just dive back into the nightmares that leave her restless. She wakes from them, gasping, clawing, Ty Lee pulling her into her arms and holding her gently, kissing her tenderly and Azula does not feel rested _ever_. "But if I have to save us all from assassins... I'm probably not up for it."

She gets up, hating herself for it, and walks to Ty Lee. She kisses her cheek and Ty Lee blushes, which Azula finds endlessly amusing. She is long past the phase where anything above her cleavage turns her cheeks anything but alabaster.

"I'll save us from the assassins," Ty Lee says, getting up on her knees on the vanity chair and pressing her lips against Azula's.

"I look forward to your triumphant victory," Azula purrs and Ty Lee rolls her eyes. "We're going out with Mai tomorrow, right? Please tell me we are."

"Yes. Of course. She is like ─ okay ─ she is─"

"Deep breaths, deep breaths. I'll wait for you to sort out your thoughts. They can't be that complex, knowing you," Azula says in a voice like artificial sugar. Ty Lee takes deep breaths and clears her mind.

"I always imagined that you and Mai would be at my wedding. And by a certain age I kind of knew I'd want to be marrying you. I did _always _want to be a princess."

"Yes, what an ambitious career goal. I'm very impressed."

"Your career is princess," Ty Lee snaps playfully.

"I was born into it." Azula kisses Ty Lee before she can disagree.

At least Mai will be there; Azula will have someone to sit awkwardly in the corner with as Ty Lee prances in the spotlight.

"You never wanted to be some kind of circus star or something? It was always princess?" Azula asks as the kiss breaks. She finds herself incredibly curious about how Ty Lee ever planned on accomplishing such an absurd goal. Well, children dream.

Azula wanted to be Fire Lord since her grandfather explained what that was. It is, Azula has realized later in her life, more unlikely than Ty Lee becoming a princess. At that bitter thought, she takes a deep breath and wards out the multitude of invasive memories.

"I have _always _wanted to be a princess, Azula. That's what I've been saying since I was like a _toddler_. And now I will be." Ty Lee interrupts Azula's mental descent into flashbacks as only she can. She is the only person who keeps Azula grounded, because she constantly has to be talking in every silence, and she simply says quite adorably obtuse things.

They both do a lot for each other.

"You're completely using me for my social status," Azula replies with a raised eyebrow.

"Mhm," Ty Lee lies, a tease.

"I actually don't mind that," Azula replies earnestly and Ty Lee laughs. "The sex is worth it."

"Please get dressed," Ty Lee says and Azula sighs.

She surrenders and cannot believe that she gives in. Something about this girl is her one weakness, and it is a chink in the armor that Azula, strangely, has no current desire to conquer. Love is weird; Azula hates it.

* * *

><p>"This music is nice," Katara remarks as kindly as she can. She is jittery about this dinner that she is accompanying Zuko to.<p>

Azula and Ty Lee's wedding is in one week and the tension in the palace is palpable. Katara managed to escape to Republic City for a brief breath of air but now she is back as the Fire Lord's date to his sister's wedding. And it has only gotten increasingly worse; Katara pities Zuko that he has to deal with this.

"I have to say before they get here," Zuko says softly as he pulls out a chair for Katara. She feels briefly frustrated at the unnecessary gesture, but she decides she will not bring it up and simply sits down. "I kind of liked mental breakdown trying to kill me Azula better than getting married Azula."

Katara cannot help but laugh. The comment is insensitive and terrible, and they both know it is not true. But Zuko laughs too as he sits down across from her and studies her face. Zuko is used to being stared at; his face is definitely a spectacle. But when Katara stares at him ─ no, gazes ─ it is with a look of understanding in her cobalt eyes.

Ty Lee and Azula arrive like a bolt of lightning. Katara has grown used to the fact that Ty Lee likes to be noticed by everyone in the vicinity everywhere she goes; she figured it out about a few months into knowing her as a Kyoshi Warrior. And her arm is wrapped tightly around Azula, yet the princess still manages to look far more dominating.

"It's going to be fine; we're going for the real one with Mai tomorrow," Ty Lee says to Azula as her eyes glint with resentment. Katara clears her throat and tries to be the bigger person.

"How pleasant, ZuZu. A rented out bar room that smells like cheap incense and a distillery," Azula says coldly and Katara has to fight not to roll her eyes. Zuko grits his teeth and wonders what is taking he and Katara's drinks so long. "This is exactly what I wanted for my wedding."

"You could be polite. He didn't send you back to the asylum, he lets you do almost everything you want as long as you don't hurt yourself or others, and he's throwing you the most impressive wedding I've ever seen. What have you ever done for him?" Katara says sharply and Zuko's neck bones jut out. This is already not going well. "I mean, he might as well send you on some luxury vacation instead of giving you _any _repercussions for what you've done."

"Mhm. Mhm. I'm just going to take a vacation to Redemption Island and come back ever so sweet and kind," Azula states regally and sarcastically, sitting down on her chair as if it is a throne. Katara's eyebrow twitches. "ZuZu, where are my tickets to Redemption Island? If it's simply that easy to turn my life around, well. Perhaps I can't take a detour through Erase Your Trauma Village. Or, Stop Sleepwalking Mountain."

"Okay, okay, hush," Zuko sighs and to his relief, Azula closes her mouth.

Ty Lee takes Azula's hand and holds it. She looks at Zuko and Katara, takes a deep breath and realizes she will need to make sacrifices for her perfect wedding. And, so help her, she will have a perfect wedding.

"So, your honeymoon?" Katara offers, trying to spark a conversation. She may find Azula unbearable, and now that Ty Lee has become a terrifying wedding tyrant, Ty Lee the same, but she _is _going to make this night as pleasant as she possibly can.

But she has relatively unpleasant company.

"Boring Ember Island," Ty Lee remarks, although she chose the destination. "But I _do _like beaches."

"Can I ask you something completely inappropriate since we're on the topic of weddings anyway?" Azula asks sweetly and Katara feels vaguely suspicious. Zuko has the feeling that she is about to prompt him to marry Katara, but after Katara rejected Aang, Zuko is not a fan of catching her on the rebound.

"Yes," Zuko says as his drink finally arrives.

"Did you sleep with Katara before or after the comet? It's an important question." Pause. "You know, maybe that's why you were so terrible in that fight."

"I did not... you stop," Zuko says sharply and Azula simply shrugs. Katara purses her lips at the uncomfortable topic.

"I'm dying to know how you two got together. It seemed to have happened in my abscence. Ty Lee and I will tell you absolutely everything you didn't need to know, but I think you two should start," Azula says and Ty Lee nods vivaciously in assent. Azula kisses her pointedly on the lips and Katara sticks her tongue out, her nose wrinkled. Zuko snickers at his girlfriend's reaction.

_'I know' _Zuko mouths to her.

"Alright, we didn't start anything until well after the comet. We had more on our minds than that. We were both romantically involved. Then we were both single at the same time and decided we would... try it," Zuko offers and Azula laughs. Katara takes a deep breath as she envisions herself turning her drink into ice claws and jabbing them through Azula's throat. It is a satisfying thought that calms her.

"But you clearly had some past sexual relationship." Azula leans forward.

"Sort of? It was complicated. Now you tell us," Zuko says and Azula is unsatisfied with her response. But she supposes Zuko and the self righteous waterbender would be reluctant to open up about their sex life.

"We were fucking the entire time," is all Azula says. "And then she just leapt into my arms and it burned out of control."

"I did not _leap into _your arms, Azula," Ty Lee snaps. "You propositioned me, if I remember correctly."

"Agree to disagree." Azula shrugs and smirks.

This is going to be a very long night.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe I tolerated that. You owe me, circus girl," Azula purrs as she wriggles out of her clothes. Half naked, she lies down on their bed with her knees up and pointed at the ceiling. Ty Lee does everything in her power not to stare or pounce on her.<p>

"I thought it was fun," Ty Lee remarks with a small shrug of her soft shoulders.

Ty Lee lies down beside Azula and Azula turns over. She clutches Ty Lee's face with one hand and looks at her with deep mockery in her golden eyes.

"You are so naive. Never lose that," Azula says sweetly, and Ty Lee is not sure if she means it or not. "I'm getting a little tired of my brother's false shows of good faith. If he really thinks he's going to get me to _flip _like him... he's kidding himself."

"I think you've gotten a little softer around the edges since we got together," Ty Lee replies in a sing-song tone. Azula sighs and closes her eyes, shutting down the conversation wordlessly. "You still have a bite. You just are biting less people."

Azula sits up, making Ty Lee shriek in shock, and bites Ty Lee's lower lip.

"Still got it," Azula remarks half-sarcastically, moving her teeth towards Ty Lee's neck.

Ty Lee sometimes cannot believe what she has gotten herself into.


End file.
